Shift in Valence Bias Associated with Decrease in Trait Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a well-known method for reducing stress and negative affect. Recently, a small, open-label trial showed that MBSR training was associated with a shift toward more positive responses to emotionally ambiguous signals (e.g., surprised expressions that convey either positive or negative meaning).

Here, we test whether the MBSR-induced shift in responses to emotional ambiguity reported previously is accompanied by a reduction in self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms (n = 42).

In support of our hypothesis, we found that the degree to which individuals' post-training responses to emotional ambiguity became more positive was associated with the degree of reduction in post-training depression and anxiety symptoms (i.e., post-training symptoms controlling for pre-training symptoms; ps = 0.001). Importantly, the effect remains significant even when accounting for increases in self-reported mindfulness.

Altogether, the results suggest that shifts in valence bias and reductions in internalizing symptoms track one another following MBSR, warranting future randomized, mechanistic investigations.